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For a start, it looks GAWWWWW-JUSSSSS. The only clues that it's not a Proper Factory Fender are the absence of a serial number, a CBS-era Big F engraved on the neck plate and a slight colour mismatch (which only true ubergeeks will ever notice) between the mint-green pickup covers and the parchment knobs.

The neck has a great big thick slabby rosewood board and light but definite figuring in the maple, and it feels fab: a little narrower than my Jeff Beck sig and maybe a TOUCH wider than my original 1963 -- basically, smack dab in the middle of my Strat-neck comfort zone. You'll know what I mean when I say that it doesn't feel like a 'new guitar', but like an old friend. Like the perfect blend of two old friends, in fact. I've never heard of neck provider Edenhaus, but they SHO NUFF know what they're doing.

The body -- not quite as yellowy as I was expecting, and a shade or two paler than the JB's slightly greeny-grey Olympic White -- is nicely resonant unplugged and comfortably light, but not remotely neck-divey light: it hangs just right on the black Levy's strap (embossed with Guitarist magazine's logo) I had waiting for it.

Those Van Zandt Vintage Plus pickups ... sound great, even through a MicroCube at neighbour-friendly volume. The real test will come when I hook it up at band volume to the Super Reverb for a rehearsal or gig, but my initial impression is that they have the combination of edge and depth -- clang and whomp -- which all Strat players crave unless their home turf is Serious Gain Territory.

If Sean wasn't in Greece at the minute on a family holiday, I;d be on the phone to him right now thanking him in embarrassingly effusive terms ... but that'll haveta wait until he's back in a coupla weeks ...

And pics will ALSO haveta wait a few days until Lovely Gurlfiend -- whose present this is -- gets home with the family camera.

It'll need a coupla tiny tweakettes (microscopic action-raising and tension-adjusting: the kinda stuff Sean could have done in well under five minutes if I'd been there to request, and which'll take me SEVERAL HOURS!!!!)*

In the meantime ... all it needs is a name.

Ratae?

Ratty?

The White Rat?

*Picard voice*

GENTLEMEN! SUGGESTIONS!

EDIT: Solved the Pix Prob -- scroll down to the bottom of the page for PROOF THAT IT HAPPENED ...

* After a few hours of intensive playing I reckon it needs (a) a FRACTIONALLY raised action and (b) a VERY slight trem adjustment to give me a TEENSY WEENSY degree of upbend ...